LA Dodgers at NY Mets – 8/6/17 MLB Preview and Pick

If you were wondering whether the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to cool off after they took a convincing lead in the National League West, well, you have probably stopped asking that question. They have already put away this division, far out in front of the competition, and they will be going after their 44th win in 51 games as they conclude their series against the New York Mets. The action gets underway at 8:05 PM ET at Citi Field in Queens, and while the game is being aired live on ESPN, BetAnySports patrons can place wagers in real time, using the software that is available through Live Betting Ultra.

The Mets are the fourth place team in the NL East, as their 49-59 record has them situated fifteen games behind the Washington Nationals. And they are trying to figure out how to move forward next season. They have taken major hits in the pitching staff, with four stalwarts on the shelf – starters Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler, and reliever Jeurys Familia. So the rotation is in tatters, and they were happy to get Steven Matz off the disabled list in June. His earlier starts gave them a lot of hope, but now the local product has faltered, with five consecutive substandard starts. He’ll get the ball for them in this game.

The Dodgers will be going with Hyun Jin-Ryu, who is one more lefty they can throw at the opposition. He is 3-6, which is kind of surprising, considering the overall record of the Dodgers, which is 78-32, with a torrid 43-7 record in their last 50 games. That’s 86% victories over a period that constitutes almost one-third of the schedule.

In the baseball odds that have been posted on this game at BetAnySports, the Dodgers are considerable favorites:

Los Angeles Dodgers (Ryu) -159

New York Mets (Matz) +149

Under 9 Runs -120

Over 9 Runs +100

Dodgers -1.5 Runs (+100)

Mets +1.5 Runs (-120)

So how could Ryu (3-6, 3.83 ERA) possibly be a loser with the Dodgers? Well, in all fairness to him, the team lost his first four starts because they have scored just five runs. They have won five of his last six starts, but in all honesty, he has not blown anyone’s doors off. He has been above average in certain categories, and has a ERA that is better than average. As he went 28-15 in his first two seasons with the Dodgers, we know what he is capable of.

How long he’ll remain a member of this rotation is anyone’s guess. Los Angeles is overloaded with starting pitchers. When Clayton Kershaw comes back from his injury, he’ll join Alex Wood (13-1, 2.33 ERA), Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda and Ryu as left-handers, and then there are right-handers like Brandon McCarthy, Brock Stewart and now Yu Darvish, an All-Star who was acquired in a trade with Texas. And if lefty Scott Kazmir, who once started an All-Star Game for the American League, can get himself together physically, he could be available in September. Some of these pitchers, we suppose, would supply reinforcement to the bullpen in the off-season.

You’d like to think that Matz can rebound and put in a strong start in front of a national audience. But that’s like guessing at this point. He had two consecutive starts where he went seven scoreless innings (against Washington and Miami) But over these five starts, with 18-1/3 innings pitched, he has allowed 24 runs on 40 hits. His average “Game Score” (a metric used to measure starts) during this stretch is 28, and 50 is average (that’s where Ryu is).

We can’t go with the Mets here, but with the Dodgers outscoring the Mets by 34 runs in six games between them this season, we can lay this run line and get even money.

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